“Go as far as you can see, when you get there you’ll be able to see further.” -Thomas Carlyle

Here Are Your Options.

When you’re an interdisciplinary misfit, there are a few piercing milestones you inevitably experience as you fumble through the standard list of options.

There’s the class selection when you’re in high school and college(“Take math- it keeps the most doors open”). 

Then there’s the “You like science? Have you considered medicine?”, and if that doesn’t suit you, please consider engineering. 

If you’re literary and philosophical, your well-intentioned loved ones will push you towards law school.

Anything else? We will cram you into corporate life (product manager, anyone?). 

Now, don’t get me wrong. These are all fulfilling careers, if you actually choose them. 

But most of us don’t. 

We think “these are the options if I don’t want to be destitute”, and then we meander along, somewhat aimlessly, thinking we made the best decision we could. 

Careers For Interdisciplinary Misfits

I think you know where I’m going with this…

It’s all a big lie!!

The career world is full of options, and, much like dating, a lot of settling on the right career comes down to actually knowing there is something out there that will fit you perfectly. 

So today I’m talking to the person who has decided to explore, experiment, and find something that actually resonates. 

I’m talking to the interdisciplinary misfit who is committed to honoring the divine gifts within them. 

I’m talking to the person who wants to live without being tethered to a single arbitrary job description. 

…And not just because it makes life more fun, but also because when you step into your unique superpowers, you are even more equipped to make the world a better place. 

So let’s get started!

How To Go Through The List Of 75 Interdisciplinary Jobs

As you go through this list, I want you to read with intention and use it as an opportunity to reflect on what really speaks to you. 

Even if you find nothing that makes you want to change your trajectory, the jobs that tug at your heart could still provide a useful insight into ways you can live more in alignment with your own interests and gifts. 

To help you with this, I put together the following questions, which you can consider as you go down the list:

1. Would I enjoy this even if no one thought it was “impressive”?
2. What skills would I be excited to practice for years?
3. Do I enjoy working with people, systems, materials, or ideas?
4. Would I rather work independently or collaboratively?
5. Do I want a job that changes daily or one with routine?
6. Am I motivated by care, creativity, justice, sustainability, or discovery?
7. Would I enjoy being a lifelong learner in this field?
8. Am I okay with freelance, project-based, or emerging roles?
9. Does this career reflect who I am now—or who I want to grow into?

#1-15: Interdisciplinary Jobs In Science + Art + Design

Using scientific knowledge to create aesthetic, expressive, or experiential works.

#1: Bio-Artist: Uses living materials like bacteria or plants to create art that explores biotechnology and ethics. 

#2: Scientific Illustrator: Combines biology and art to produce accurate yet beautiful depictions of scientific phenomena.

#3: Solar Infrastructure Artist: Integrates solar panels into aesthetically pleasing public art.

#4: Sound Ecologist: Records and analyzes natural soundscapes to monitor ecosystems or create immersive experiences.

#5: Biomechanical Artist: Creates wearable or kinetic sculptures that move with the human body.

#6: Sensory Designer: Designs multisensory experiences combining neuroscience, design, and storytelling.

#7: Perfumer (Nose): Blends scents scientifically to craft perfumes and fragrances.

#8: Moss Gardener: Designs and maintains living installations made entirely of moss.

#9: Mosaic Artist: Creates art using stone, glass, or ceramics in complex designs.

#10: Color Consultant: Advises on color choices that influence mood and perception.

#11: Miniature Artist: Builds intricate, small-scale worlds for collectors or museums.

#12: Calligrapher: Turns handwriting into fine art and custom lettering.

#13: Robotic Performer: Uses robots as collaborators in live theater or dance.

#14: Algorithmic Musician: Composes generative music using code and machine learning.

#15: Interactive Installation Engineer: Builds art installations that respond to human presence or movement.

#16-29: Interdisciplinary Jobs In Technology + Psychology + Human Experience

Designing digital or physical systems centered on cognition, emotion, and behavior.

#16: UX Neuroscientist: Studies the brain’s response to digital interfaces to optimize user experience.

#17: Voice UX Designer: Merges linguistics and tech to make voice assistants sound more natural and empathetic.

#18: AI Companion Developer: Creates emotionally intelligent digital entities for support or companionship.

#19: Death Doula: Provides emotional and spiritual support to the dying and their families.

#20: Poetry Therapist: Uses poetry and creative writing for healing and self-expression.

#21: Adventure Therapist: Uses outdoor activities like climbing or rafting to support mental health.

#22: Virtual Reality Therapist: Uses VR environments to treat phobias, PTSD, or chronic pain.

#23: Dance Therapist – Uses movement and dance as therapeutic tools to support emotional, physical, and mental health, blending psychology with creative expression.

#24: Professional Cuddler– Offers platonic, consent-based physical comfort to clients, focusing on emotional support, boundaries, and stress reduction. (This is not prostitution, I promise.)

#25: Interactive Narrative Designer: Creates branching storylines for games, apps, and VR experiences.

#26: Cognitive Ergonomist: Designs systems and tools that align with human mental processes.

#27: Gamification Designer: Blends psychology and game design to make education, health, or work more engaging.

#28: Dream Research Technologist: Develops tools to study, record, or influence dreams.

#29: Animal-Assisted Therapist – Uses animals like horses or dogs to aid emotional healing.

#30-45: Interdisciplinary Jobs In Biology + Environment + Sustainability

Working with living systems, ecology, food, and sustainable futures.

#30: Waste Material Innovator: Develops new products or art from industrial or biological waste.

#31: Space Botanist: Studies how to grow plants in extraterrestrial environments.

#32: Lavender Farmer: Cultivates and harvests lavender, managing soil, climate, and distillation processes to produce essential oils, dried flowers, and wellness products.

#33: Avian Trainer – Trains birds of prey, parrots, zoo birds.

#34: Coral Gardener: Restores damaged coral reefs through underwater planting.

#35: Genetic Counselor for Pets: Helps pet owners understand their animals’ DNA and inherited traits.

#36: Urban Wildlife Manager: Balances city design with ecological needs of urban animals.

#37: Eco-Fashion Designer: Merges materials science with fashion design to create biodegradable or upcycled clothing from innovative new fabrics such as mycelium or seaweed. 

#38: Animal Behavior Consultant: Helps owners or zoos understand and correct animal behavior.

#39: Bee Sommelier: Tastes and classifies honey based on floral sources and terroir.

#40: Charcoal Maker – Produces charcoal by carefully burning wood in low-oxygen conditions, balancing traditional techniques with modern quality control for fuel, art, or filtration uses.

#41: Microbial Fuel Technologist – Develops energy systems powered by bacteria.

#42: Foraging Guide – Teaches people to safely identify and harvest wild edible plants.

#43: Insect Farm Operator – sustainable protein, science meets agriculture.

#44: Volcanic Tour Guide – Leads scientific and adventure tours around active volcanoes.

#45: Citizen Science Coordinator – Connects scientists and the public to collaborate on large-scale research.

#46-58: Interdisciplinary Jobs In Technology + Culture + History

Preserving, studying, or reinterpreting human culture using modern tools.

#46: Meme Archivist: Studies and preserves internet memes as cultural artifacts.

#47: Food Historian: Recreates ancient recipes or explore cultural food evolution.

#48: Deep-Sea Archaeologist: Explores and documents submerged ancient sites.

#49: Glacier Archaeologist: Studies artifacts and bodies emerging from melting ice.

#50: Art Conservator: Restores and preserves paintings, manuscripts, and artifacts.

#51: Bookbinder: Creates or restores hand-bound books using traditional techniques.

#52: Papermaker: Crafts handmade paper using natural fibers and ancient methods.

#53: Digital Heritage Conservator: Uses VR, AR, and 3D scanning to preserve historical sites.

#54: Digital Anthropologist: Studies how humans behave and form cultures in online spaces.

#55: Restoration Mason: Rebuilds historic stone structures and sculptures.

#56: Cultural Festival Curator: Designs festivals that showcase folk traditions, art, and cuisine.

#57: Historical Reenactor: Performs in period attire to educate about historical events.

#58: Travel Ethnographer: Documents disappearing cultural practices and rituals.

#59-75: Interdisciplinary Jobs In Engineering + Performance + Applied Craft

Hands-on, technical roles blending making, engineering, and live or applied contexts.

#59: Kinetic Architect – Designs buildings or sculptures that move or adapt dynamically.

#60: Tea Blender – Crafts custom tea blends by balancing aroma, taste, and culture.

#61: Cheese Affineur – Ages and perfects cheeses for optimal texture and flavor.

#62: Space Architect – Designs habitats for astronauts on the Moon, Mars, or orbital stations.

#63: Pet Food Taster: Assesses pet food for smell, texture, and appearance (and sometimes taste), ensuring products meet quality, safety, and palatability standards for animals.

#64: Scientific Research Subject: Participates in controlled studies by following research protocols, helping scientists gather data on health, behavior, cognition, or technology.

#65: Taste Tester: Samples food and beverages to evaluate flavor, texture, aroma, and quality, often providing detailed feedback to improve recipes or ensure safety standards.

#66: Tactile Storyteller: Designs narratives through textures and materials for visually impaired audiences.

#67: 3D Food Printing Engineer: Uses engineering and culinary art to print edible creations layer by layer.

#68: Wearable Tech Designer: Integrates sensors and electronics into fashion and performance art.

#69: Special Effects Makeup Artist – Applies a blend of chemistry, sculpture, and design to do make up for characters on movie sets and theme parks.

#70: Set Builder for Film/TV – Applies carpentry + design + problem-solving to build sets for film and TV.

#71: Voice Actor Specializing in Unusual Roles – Acts as the voice for creatures, ASMR, and characters in TV and film.

#72: Theme Park Prop Technician – Maintains animatronics, costumes, effects.

#73: Cryogenic Engineer – Designs systems for storing and preserving biological or space materials at ultra-low temps.

#74: Forensic Botanist – Solves crimes using plant evidence like pollen or leaf fragments.

#75: Dialect Coach – Trains actors or speakers in authentic accents and regional speech.

Interdisciplinary Experiment, Interdisciplinary Experiment, Interdisciplinary Experiment.

No matter what this list made you feel, there is one clear next step: experiment. 

When putting it together, I found myself tempted by many potential rabbit holes.

From kinetic architecture to scientific illustration, I kind of got a bit lost, both excited and overwhelmed by the potential. 

Can’t I just do them all? I wondered. 

Actually, yes. 

Take one, and test your initial interest in a small, noncommittal way. Watch a video. Read a book. Listen to a podcast. 

If you’re still interested, consider taking a free online course or doing a short video chat with someone in that field. 

At every stage, you are testing your interest at a slightly higher level, until you get it right. 

Yes, you can test out as many career ideas as you want, and yes, you can also press “reset” whenever you feel like it. 

Remember, you’re in the driver’s seat here.

So go ahead…make the list of things you want to try, and watch the answers you’ve been looking for finally unfold.

Thought To Action 

1. Map the Impossible: Write down three “too big” ideas you’d pursue if fear, money, or skill weren’t limits. Circle one. Start with the smallest visible step.
2. Use Tech Intentionally: Schedule a daily “digital audit”—10 minutes to check what tools you actually use to create versus to consume. (See this guide to mindful tech habits).
3. Build an Independent Study Track: Pick a theme you want to master this year (creativity, AI, storytelling) and design your own syllabus—books, podcasts, projects, mentors.
4. Pair Reading with Doing: For every chapter you read, add one experiment to test the idea in real life.
5. Reflect in Reverse: Once a week, ask: “What did I not do because I underestimated myself?”—then do one of those things, badly but bravely.

Sources

No external sources were used for this post.

The post 75 Weird But Cool Interdisciplinary Careers No One Told You Existed appeared first on Green Also Green.

“We don’t have to waste our time learning how to make pastry when we can use grandma’s recipes.”― Orson De Witt, Earth Won’t Miss You

Some Of The People I’m Grateful For This Year

When we seek life hacks and thrifted wisdom, we often turn to the lofty role models we see on the glossy covers of Forbes, Vogue, and the like. 

But this year, with Thanksgiving just around the corner, I wanted to take a big highlighter, and emphasize something really important: there is wisdom all around us. 

There is wisdom in our family, wisdom in our closest friends. 

I would even venture to say there is wisdom in little children and animals, and in the minds and hearts of every person who hasn’t been invited onto a famous podcast to share their Top 3 Life Hacks For Breaking Out Of The Matrix.

This year I’m spending Thanksgiving abroad in Japan, so I’m leaning more towards a “friendsgiving” year than “familysgiving”, but in reflecting on my life, I realized that some votes of thanks are in order!

When pondering exactly how to distribute the thanks, I decided to pick twelve wise people in my own life- one for each month of the year- and tell you something I learned from them.  

12 Life Hacks From Some Of My Personal Wisdom Providers

#1: “Just go to sleep already.” – C.

Do you have that one friend who you can’t text past midnight without getting a message back that reads, “why are you still awake?!” 

…Except ten times more aggressively, in all-caps, and with four too many exclamation points?

Well, I do. 

The annoying thing is- she’s right. 

Let’s face it, you’re up so late at night because your mind is catastrophizing about that one thing you said to Sally in the bathroom that afternoon without thinking. 

If not that, you’re scrolling to avoid thinking about it, or you convinced yourself one additional email will only take “a few minutes” to answer.

Stop. 

Put your phone down. Close your laptop. Go to sleep already. You will feel better in the morning (even Harvard agrees!).

#2: Don’t sacrifice your peace just to put everyone else at ease. – My mom

I was once the person who fetishized unnecessary sacrifice, so I will be the first to say I learned this one the hard way. 

Over my short (but oh, so long) 20 years on our little blue dot, I have sacrificed my peace way too often to make other people comfortable, and to keep them content. 

It was always along the lines of “keeping the peace” for others, but crumbling on the inside. 

Anyway, long story short, my mom was right. 

Now here’s the thing I didn’t realize before that prevented me from truly internalizing this: when you don’t advocate for yourself, you aren’t actually gaining respect and admiration. 

Instead, you are training people to walk all over you. 

So speak up. Stand up for yourself. Fight for your peace and do not compromise. 

#3: Stop picking at your face. – my grandmother

If I had a dollar for every time my grandmother told me to stop picking at my face- a habit I sometimes do without even thinking – I would basically be a trust fund baby. 

But even apart from picking at my face, this extends further.

When you’re stressed out because you feel like you failed, don’t sabotage yourself even further. 

If you have acne, don’t pick at your face to release frustration, even though you will be tempted to. 

If you’re like me, you have also had the late nights of low self-esteem-scrolling through other people’s social media because it facilitates the ever-deeper spiral into self-loathing.

The first step to getting out of a deep hole is to stop digging- or in this case, to stop picking. 

What you feel will change by the morning. 

The scab you get from popping the pimple will last a bit longer.

#4: Your perception of inadequacy comes from how hard you push yourself, not from the reality of your progress. – My 10-year-old sister

Watching a young child grow up is the crash course (and crucial life hacks) in perseverance and resilience you didn’t know you needed. 

For me, I think a lot about my sister. 

She is incredibly busy, plays several instruments, and always seems to have another extracurricular hobby that she is trying in school. 

And yet…and yet.

From the inside of her own life, she doesn’t see her incredible progress and growth. 

Why? 

Because she is pushing hard and trying so many new things. 

Honestly though, I feel the same way most days, and I am ten years ahead. 

You think you’re not doing well because you are pushing yourself hard and your standards are getting higher. 

In fact, the higher your standards get, the more you probably feel you are falling short.

What you don’t realize is how much progress you have already made, and the expectations you have already exceeded. 

All you can see is how far you have left to go. 

So remember- you are learning. You are growing. You might not feel it, but you’re doing great.

This growth is the whole point. 

#5: Effort counts twice. – my brother

There is a special place in the world for all the women with little brothers who once shadow-boxed around them in public and now communicate exclusively through Michael Scott and Phil Dunphy references. 

My brother, however, is not just an Office superfan or a shadow-boxing addict. 

He is also ruthlessly stubborn and (unreasonably?) obsessive. 

When he gets it in his head that he wants something, there is no ‘undo’ button. 

In watching my brother grow up, I’ve had the opportunity to see him get into obsessions and pursue them with crazy intensity, whether it’s boxing, video editing and social media marketing, or business and finance. 

He does the unglamorous work on the missions he cares about, and then he gets results. 

It’s not so much a hack as a heuristic, but here it is: become obsessed. 

Relentlessly pursue your vision for success. 

Work harder, because effort counts twice. 

#6: Not everyone is worth the effort. -Aunt T.

Some hacks turn out to not be hacks at all. 

For example, when we are taught to measure success against how close we are to being married, having two kids and a dog, two matching BMWs, and an iPhone that doesn’t fit into the pockets of our jeans.

Here’s the truth: Being single doesn’t mean there is something wrong with you. 

Losing friends doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you. 

Getting ghosted by a mentor or a role model you really looked up to doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you. 

Getting rejected from your dream college or the perfect internship doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you.

Oh, and here’s a controversial one: Maybe losing those particular people and life paths is a blessing in disguise

…Because sometimes the hacks that get us to where we want to be are the painful losses we didn’t want to endure.

So listen to my aunt and walk away. 

Better people will find you, and what’s more is they will choose you. 

#7: It’s never too late to start something new. – my grandfather

Apparently, you’re supposed to retire at 65. 

Some people do that. 

My grandfather isn’t one of them. 

In fact, he decided to go one step further: get an additional job. 

Now, my grandfather has worn lots of hats throughout his life, so I guess it wasn’t a surprise when in his 60s he decided to add another one to the list: being an ordained deacon in the Catholic church.

So far, he has been an anesthesiologist, a pilot, a boat captain, a boy scout leader, a dive master, a business owner, father/grandfather, and now, a deacon. 

Some people might get dizzy just imagining this, but for me, getting to witness this has been a source of peace.

In a world that tells you to choose one thing for the rest of your life, my grandfather has been a shining example of what it looks like to reinvent yourself over and over again. 

Throughout your life, there is actually lots more time than you realize. 

No, you can’t have seven careers going at the same time, but over 70 years, you will have space to grow in many directions. 

And guess what? 

If you get to your 60s and realize you have blossoming career aspirations in a completely different space, it’s not too late. 

Don’t get stressed about having to choose one thing and commit to it forever. 

There is always time for that reinvention. 

#8: You won’t realize how hard it is until it isn’t hard anymore. – my high school homeroom teacher

As a teenager, I thought life was supposed to be miserable. 

High school was lonely, and it felt like every few weeks I found myself crying on the bathroom floor all over again- or in the office of my homeroom teacher, updating her on the most recent drama in my life. 

If it wasn’t boy drama, it was feeling like I was going to fail all my classes and never get into college, or stressing because “I have no idea what I want to do with my life and everyone else does”. 

Looking back, fifteen-year-old me deserves a lot of credit that she didn’t give herself. 

She did some hard things back then- hard things that seemed impossible once- and she had the courage to invest in herself and create the life I get to enjoy now. 

I wish I could tell my fifteen-year-old self that it gets way, way better, and that she is facing some inordinately hard years, so crying on the bathroom floor is normal. 

However, I also know my fifteen-year-old self would have rolled her eyes hearing that. 

In truth, she just had to be patient, get older, and come out the other end of the tunnel to see the bright light of her future. 

How did I ever make it through that?

Now I know: turns out, being a teenager is just incredibly difficult, and you only realize just how difficult it is once you grow out of it, look back, and wonder how did I even survive that?

For me, one of the people who provided me incredible solace in the difficult stormy waters of high school was my homeroom teacher, with whom I have exchanged tears, laughter, heartbreak, and lots of small pep talks and reassurances.

You might not be a teenager, but you can still pose the question to yourself: What if what you’re experiencing right now is just difficult? In fact, what if it’s supposed to be difficult? What if you can’t make it out exclusively with skincare hacks and new piercings?

Could it be that you are growing and changing, and emotional growing pains are real? 

Is it possible that maybe, just maybe, there is a beautiful future waiting for you on the other side? 

#9: Don’t underestimate the social credit you get by being genuinely excited for other people. – N.

You know that feeling when you open up LinkedIn and the first thing you see is a post about yet another person who is excited to start their sparkly new internship?

Or how it feels when you’ve just broken up, but that girl who sits three cubicles away from you met the love of her life who just engaged to her at sunset, and by the way you can see the diamond on her finger from the moon?

Yes, I’m talking about that sticky green jealousy that makes you hate them but hate yourself more. 

When you feel the lack of what you want, it’s natural to resent the abundance of others.

So, naturally, if I then told you to pick up those pom poms of support and love and genuine excitement, and wave them in the air as hard as you can, you would probably want to punch me in the throat. 

Here’s why you shouldn’t: when you celebrate other people’s wins, you are giving yourself an important message. 

You are signalling that you know your win is coming too. 

And trust me, the wins are coming your way. 

#10: Quit the boring books. – Aunt W.

The sunk cost fallacy is real, and if you have ever kept reading a boring book way past the event horizon at which you knew it would never get better, then you are a victim.

Of all my aunts, this one reads the most voraciously. It’s actually a little intimidating, between you and me. 

But here’s what she won’t do: keep reading a bad book until the bitter end. 

I learned to put down bad books too, but there was a time when I felt I simply didn’t have the authority to say a book was boring enough to be abandoned. 

Now, I think about the sunk cost fallacy in other areas, and wonder to myself where I need to jump the ship and move onto something better. 

You have the authority to make that call for yourself. 

No, really. You do.

Yes, there is uncertainty, and yes, you might jump onto another boring book, but you will at least be able to handle it just like you did the last one. 

Remember, it doesn’t matter how many pages in you are. If it’s not getting any better, it’s probably not worth the wait.

#11: It starts with deciding to be an artist. – L.

I used to carry the deep belief that I had to do hard things to prove I could do them. Then, I had to deprive myself of the things I loved to prove I had “discipline”.

One of the activities I deprived myself of was being an artist. 

When I held this belief up to the light, I wondered where it came from, then promptly decided I didn’t want to carry it anymore.

Since then, I have embarked on the long, slow, acutely painful process of reclaiming the side of me that is, at heart, a writer-artist-explorer. 

L. has been my writing buddy since we met in kindergarten, and she has been instrumental in showing me what it looks like to step into your creativity and live like an artist. 

Really, it boils down to this: If you want to live a creative life, stop telling people you’re not an artist. 

If you want to be a writer, start calling yourself one. 

Call yourself a scientist. 

Call yourself an entrepreneur. 

Being exactly what you aspire to be is about actually making the choice to be that thing and see yourself as worthy of honoring your gifts. 

#12: You might need to cry first, but you still have what it takes, and you will impress yourself later on. – my littlest sister. 

Meet my youngest, yet most mature sibling- because, like I said, life hacks also come from kids.

She may be little, and she may be sweet, but make no mistake: she is a force to be reckoned with. 

My sister has decided she will one day run the Natural History Museum in London, and that she would like to pursue paleontology. (She’s 4 by the way. Who told her what “paleontology” was??)

She is several grade levels ahead in math, and when it comes to reading and writing, it feels like she could be very well start composing Shakespearean sonnets.

However, like every superwoman, she has her kryptonite: Kumon. 

The funny thing about Kumon and my sister is that she is actually amazing at it. 

Like I said, she is incredibly precocious, and has no problem understanding what to do. 

So the problem isn’t the math. It’s the act of sitting down and doing extra work. 

Now, I don’t do Kumon, but I’ve sat down to do things before that give me that same feeling. 

It’s the “this code cell will be the end of me” feeling, or “there’s so many applications to submit and they’ll mostly get rejected” feeling. 

My sister cries about Kumon the same way I cry about Python error messages. 

But guess what else?

After crying, she does the Kumon. And after the Kumon, she gets to play. 

Sometimes, in order to sit down and get through long sheets of math, you need to cry first. 

That’s okay. Just get it done.

Thought To Action 

1. Design a Tech Sabbath: Pick one day or evening a week to go screen-free and let your thoughts get noisy again. (Read why stillness fuels creativity).
2. Build a ‘Slow Stack’: Keep one long, complex book by your bed and promise it five pages a day—no summaries, no speed. Just sustained attention.
3. Use AI as a Mirror: Instead of asking an AI tool for answers, ask it for better questions. Collect your favorites in a “Thinking Prompts” doc.
4. Join the 30-Minute Club: Set aside 30 minutes each day to learn something unmonetized—no career goals, no productivity—just intellectual play.
5. Create a Digital Garden: Capture the best things you’re reading, writing, and noticing in one evolving document. Growth deserves a home.

Sources

No external sources were used for this post.

The post 12 Life Hacks I Learned From Some Of The Coolest People I Know appeared first on Green Also Green.

“The only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work.” -Steve Jobs

Passion vs. Grit

The typical narrative places grit and passion on opposite ends of the spectrum. 

We imagine “following your passion” as taking a low-paying career in something we enjoy as a hobby. Then, alternatively, there is the “gritty” path that will pay-off years into the future, after many all-nighters and existential crises. 

This is a false narrative, because actually, passion and grit work in tandem, and today I want to unpack how that happens.

Angela Duckworth

The inspiration for this entire post comes from one woman: Angela Duckworth, a psychologist and author who studies grit and self-control. 

On her recent appearance on the Mel Robbins podcast, she discussed the ideas I’m outlining below. 

My Realization

This podcast was a paradigm-shift for me in several ways, but especially as someone who has always struggled to “narrow down” my interests and unlock the things I’m super passionate about. 

Here are a few key insights I realized about myself that might strike a chord:

1.  I have always assumed the “harder” path was inherently more respectable, even if my “easier” path was even more unique and impressive. I figured if I spent a bunch of time trying to brainwash myself into being interested in certain things that didn’t really excite me, that I was doing something inherently more “impressive” than pursuing other (equally) well-earning, nuanced, respectable field/careers/subjects. 

2. Grit is more about consistency than about excessive effort. If you only have 3/10 effort to give, it’s still better than 0. If you fall off the horse, get back on. 

3. You probably don’t even realize that you are talented or passionate about something, because you take your interest in it for granted. For example, I have lately become obsessed with mineralogy, as I’m taking a geology course. I thought everyone found that cool, but turns out, it’s a strong interest  somewhat unique to me. 

#1: The Hard Thing Rule

Duckworth talks about a rule she uses to cycle her kids through interests so they can find their passions, and, in turn, develop grit. 

To choose your “hard thing” she outlines these 3 rules.

#1: The hard thing must require deliberate practice and goals. 

While listening to Duckworth and Robbins, I thought to myself what in my own life might count as a “hard thing”, and the immediate example that stood out to me was learning how to play piano. 

As a kid, I had a checklist on my desk, created by my mom, and on it were the list of things I had to do every day when I got home. 

It was more or less: homework, shower, eat dinner, and practice piano. 

So practicing piano became a habit, like brushing my teeth or packing my school bag. 

It also became a goal- to learn to play Jingle Bells before Christmas, or to memorize Scherezade. 

#2: You cannot quit the goal. 

Another important rule is that you cannot quit the goal. This doesn’t mean you are committing to the “hard thing” for the rest of your life, but rather, that your experiment of the passion you have for that hard thing must be fulfilled. 

About a year and a half ago, I ran a half-marathon, and at the last mile, an aching pain permeated my right hip. I knew I had to finish though, because this was a goal I had and it needed to be completed. 

I ended up finishing, but the last mile took me 45 minutes. 

Duckworth says you have to finish your goal too. After the goal, you can stop, but you must cross the finish line.

Me, after I finished the half-marathon!!

#3: Nobody gets to choose the hard thing but you. 

This is the one most parents ignore. It’s either: you must learn piano or violin, or you will take karate because you need to learn self-defense. 

It even happens in careers. 

If I had a dollar for every kid I met who was on the I’m-becoming-a-doctor-because-it’s-what-my-parents-want track, or the lawyer/engineer/finance bro equivalent, I would never need to work at all. 

You need to choose your hard thing yourself. 

It can’t be your mom. 

It can’t be your math teacher. 

And no, it can’t be another white dude on the internet who thinks the only thing you ever need to learn about is AI.

The problem, then, is how to choose. 

#2: Choose easy. Work Hard. 

Most people think they have to “choose hard”, then “work hard”. It’s a belief I even internalized myself. 

However, if you choose easy first, working hard requires much less friction, and you will experience greater success. 

So…how do you “choose easy”?

#1: Choose easy. Avoid the ‘should’

Let’s start by clarifying what “choosing easy” isn’t. It isn’t:

• Giving up because one random, cruel person in your past told you “you can’t draw” or “you’re not good at math”. 
• Avoiding risk 
• Rejecting growth mindset (e.g. “I will never be able to figure out how to ride a bike because I fell off my bike twice when I was trying to learn.”

What “choosing easy” really means, is to pursue the things you’re already really excited about. Not what you “should” be excited about, but what you actually are excited about. Think:

• What do I like to learn about in my spare time?
• What am I least likely to procrastinate on?
• What kinds of fun facts do I naturally want to tell people about?
• What kinds of problems really annoy me about the world?
• What kinds of lifestyles, jobs, people make me jealous?
• What kinds of skills, knowledge, or behaviors do people compliment me on (or tease me about)?

No Stupid Answers!!

When you go down this list, you might think your answers are stupid, but they’re not. For example, I love to bake and knit, and I thought these were just silly hobbies. 

Lo and behold, my love for these activities provides a deeper clue toward the fact that I love to be creative in a tangible way. I love exploring the properties of materials, and to learn about chemistry in a tangible, non-academic way. 

If I am answering the question “What kinds of lifestyles, jobs, people make me jealous?”, I will point to the cover of a National Geographic magazine, and tell you that I’m jealous of everyone who gets to be a National Geographic explorer. 

Now, that makes perfect sense. 

Exploring the natural world feeds my soul, and I would love to be able to combine a love for chemistry with an enthusiasm for exploration. 

It’s might seem silly- of course anyone would envy the person with a super cool job- but it’s not. 

I know, after many a rock-rant, that minerals and geochemistry are not universally fascinating, nor is knitting or baking or sitting curled up with a National Geographic.

#2: Work hard through deliberate practice. 

Duckworth and Robbins highlight this second part of “choosing easy”, and it’s perhaps the more intuitive part of the path to passion. It’s pretty simple:

High Quality Practice = Having A Goal + Getting Feedback

What is the difference between me, someone whose peak running performance was a half marathon a year and a half ago, and Usain Bolt?

The difference is practice- and not just quantity, but quality. 

I want to take a highlighter to this point, just like Duckworth did in her discussion. 

This is why you are not a food critic, even after spending over 10,000 hours eating food. It’s why you are not a spelling bee champion, even after spending years trying to spell ‘Worcestershire sauce’.

If you want to become great, you need to practice with a goal in mind (e.g. “knit a scarf for my dog”), and get feedback (e.g. “I have 7 stitches on my needle instead of 6. I did something wrong.”). 

If you don’t have those two ingredients, you will not become the Usain Bolt of your “hard thing”. 

Passion belongs to everyone. 

A lot of times when we talk about passion in the context of really clear passion- the person who has known they wanted to be an architect since they were 5 years old, or who has always known they wanted to be a professional ballerina. 

But most of us aren’t that person. 

In truth, passion is for everyone, and it’s just about unlocking the gifts and interests you already have, maybe without even realizing it.  

Thought To Action 

1. Design a Tech Sabbath: Pick one day or evening a week to go screen-free and let your thoughts get noisy again. (Read why stillness fuels creativity).
2. Build a ‘Slow Stack’: Keep one long, complex book by your bed and promise it five pages a day—no summaries, no speed. Just sustained attention.
3. Use AI as a Mirror: Instead of asking an AI tool for answers, ask it for better questions. Collect your favorites in a “Thinking Prompts” doc.
4. Join the 30-Minute Club: Set aside 30 minutes each day to learn something unmonetized—no career goals, no productivity—just intellectual play.
5. Create a Digital Garden: Capture the best things you’re reading, writing, and noticing in one evolving document. Growth deserves a home.

Sources

The Mel Robbins Podcast

The post Angela Duckworth’s Approach To Discover Your Passions & Developing Grit appeared first on Green Also Green.

“The dream is not a drug but a way. Listen to where it can take you.” -Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

It made me kind of jealous…

I started learning how to dream big about a year ago, when I started university. 

I was nineteen, a freshman moving into a San Francisco residence hall that was conveniently placed on a noisy street right across from Ikea, and well-equipped with a perpetually-disgusting shared kitchen. 

Overall, the first semester was something of a blur, and it was a period of adjustment- to academics, to life in SF, and to all the new relationships I was forming with friends, professors, and new connections in the city. 

But what really struck me was how incredibly successful so many of my peers were. Among them were entrepreneurs, researchers, activists, and even published authors, all from different walks of life. 

It made me feel lots of things, but most of all, it made me feel jealous.

I racked my brain for a single good reason for why I had never thought to become any of these myself. Why had I not even tried?  

When I thought about it more deeply, exploring this question through journaling, I realized the main reason was that I just never thought it was possible for me. 

It might sound sad, but it was the truth. I didn’t think I was smart enough, or organized enough, or cool enough, or capable enough, so I didn’t even bother to dream it. 

In essence, I trained myself to think small using beliefs I had no evidence for. 

Over the past year though, I have pushed myself to dream bigger. I have chosen to choose my beliefs and life with intention. 

The results have been incredible. 

So today I want to urge you to choose to choose. Dare to dream big dreams. Because, really, why not?

Okay. 

Now is when I talk to the person rolling their eyes because I sound like their hippie best friend’s Pinterest board. 

I wrote this for you. 

Me at the start of my freshman year.

7 reasons why it would be silly to do not dream big:

#1: You only have 4,000 weeks of being alive. 

Let’s do some math, inspired by one of my favorite self-help books of all time, 4000 Weeks, by Oliver Burkeman. 

There are 52 weeks in a year, and a typical human lives 80 years. 

80 52 = 4,160

So if you’re an infant, you have about 4,000 weeks of being alive (if you’re lucky enough to live a full 80 years). 

If you’re 20 years old like me, the math looks like this:

(80-20) 52 = 3,120

If you’re 35, it looks like this:

(80-35) 52 = 2,340

If you’re 50, it’s this:

(80-50) 52 = 1,560

At what point do you have less than a thousand weeks left? At 60.77 years old. 

(80 – ?) 52 < 1,000

It’s not a lot of time when you think about it. I think we should make it count, don’t you? 

#2: You gain more information by doing the thing than by not. 

If you don’t find math convincing, let’s instead talk about the practical matter of making life decisions, and how to make them well. 

Imagine if you only ever tried chocolate ice cream. For years, this was your go-to flavor because it was familiar, and you knew you liked it. 

Then, one day, your friend convinces you to try strawberry, and you find it disgusting. You think, “This is why I should have just stuck to chocolate.” So you do. 

Now, when someone asks if you like strawberry ice cream, you give a confident “ew, no”. 

However, it’s important to recognize that your decision to try strawberry only speaks to strawberry. 

Don’t use your dislike for strawberry to then justify not trying biscoff-flavored ice cream, or French vanilla, or cookies and cream. 

The more ice cream flavors you try, the more you know what you really like and what you don’t. With that knowledge, you will then be able to choose a really good flavor next time you go to an ice cream shop (and in the end, you might realize chocolate wasn’t the best flavor after all).

#3: You are way more capable than many of the people already doing the thing. 

Have you ever watched a TV show and thought “I could’ve written a better script”, or gone to a restaurant and found yourself saying “I could have made this better at home”?

If that’s you- criticizing the people who have put themselves out there and actually succeeded- then I hate to break it to you, but you’re the bigger loser. 

Truth be told, you could certainly do that thing you’ve always wanted to do. 

But the point isn’t whether you could do it, it’s whether you actually do. 

However, this is also good news. 

The fact that there are people with way less talent and skill than you who have done it before means there’s a chance. 

It means there is a playbook. There is a way. If they could figure it out, so can you. 

#4: You can still change your mind!

If you’re like me- a super indecisive person who is perpetually terrified at the opportunity cost that comes with actually making decisions- please listen up. 

There are very few things in life that aren’t reversible, and even within the category of reversible decisions, there are very few decisions that are difficult to reverse. 

Most daily decisions are actually so small we don’t even notice them: what you choose to have for lunch, whether you decide to read a new book or not, what podcast you turn on during the drive home, how you spend your Friday night…

Yet, these micro-decisions are what make up most of our life. 

When you dream big, it’s not all about making big all-or-nothing choices. It’s not about being as dramatic as possible when you realize you need a change. 

Instead, it is about experimentation, and sometimes the experiment reveals that you actually don’t want exactly what you thought. 

The beauty, though, is that at any point, you can still change your mind. 

If you start pursuing something, you can still walk away from it.

The key is to not be afraid of making small but frequent pivots on your way to the dream. 

Over time, these little pivots will lead you right to where you want to be.

#5: You will inspire the people watching. 

When I was a little kid, I used to take swimming lessons. Cautious from the very beginning, I resisted letting go of the ledge and swimming in the parts of the pool where I couldn’t reach the bottom. 

I simply didn’t want to flounder in the deep end and suffer the sharp sting of water rushing up my nose as I struggled to catch a breath. 

Enter: my baby brother. 

Two years younger than me, my brother was supposed to be helpless in the pool, or at least more helpless than me. 

This was not so. 

My brother learned to swim easily, and let go of the ledge with no problem. 

The whole thing was embarrassing, truth be told. 

However, in seeing him learn so quickly, I realized I was being ridiculous. 

Swimming wasn’t that hard. I just had to let go of the ledge and stop being a scaredy cat. 

The thing is, most of us are holding onto the ledge still, and all we need to let go is to see our baby brother waddle into the pool with his silly little swim diapers and show us how it’s done. 

When you dream big, you will become the person who makes everyone else realize how much their fear is holding them back. 

#6: It will probably give you amazing memories anyway.

Is ‘fun’ a good enough reason to live a big life and pursue crazy goals? 

Yes, I think it is. 

The thing holding us back from that, though, is the voice that rattles off all the logistical complications, all the disapproving stares, and tells us it’s “too late”, or you’re “too old”, or “no one has done it before”, and “there’s no time anyway”. 

To that, I say yes, it will be scary. 

Yes, you might have to hire a babysitter. 

And yes, it will cost you money or time or effort, and you might very well look stupid and feel stupid. 

I say, do it nevertheless, because once you get past the “figuring out how to make this work” stage, you will be so glad you now get to cherish those memories for the rest of your life.  

#7: You will become an even cooler person. 

I put this reason last to emphasize that the whole point of dreaming big isn’t necessarily to get what you want, but to become who you want.

By signing up for a marathon, not only can you say you did the marathon. You can also cast a vote every day for becoming the type of person who wakes up early to train.

Similarly, by travelling to a new country, not only can you say you ticked that country off your bucket list. You can also cast a vote for the version of you that is adventurous and curious. 

Every decision reinforces a part of your personality, so it makes perfect sense to act in a way that reinforces who you want to be. 

Chances are, when you really explore what you want from life, it will provide you with a clear step-by-step path to becoming the version of yourself you have always wanted to be. 

…So go for it!

There are hard decisions in life, but I hope I have convinced you that whether or not to really dream big isn’t one of them. 

Not only will it fill your 4000 weeks with joy and beauty, but it will also lead you right to where (and who) you want to be. 

…And who knows, maybe your crazy, impossibly-big dream will even become reality?

Thought To Action 

1. Map the Impossible: Write down three “too big” ideas you’d pursue if fear, money, or skill weren’t limits. Circle one. Start with the smallest visible step.
2. Use Tech Intentionally: Schedule a daily “digital audit”—10 minutes to check what tools you actually use to create versus to consume. (See this guide to mindful tech habits).
3. Build an Independent Study Track: Pick a theme you want to master this year (creativity, AI, storytelling) and design your own syllabus—books, podcasts, projects, mentors.
4. Pair Reading with Doing: For every chapter you read, add one experiment to test the idea in real life.
5. Reflect in Reverse: Once a week, ask: “What did I not do because I underestimated myself?”—then do one of those things, badly but bravely.

Sources

Burkeman, Oliver. Four Thousand Weeks :$BTime and How to Use It. London, Uk, Jonathan Cape, 2021.

The post 7 Reasons It’s Stupid Not To Dream Bigger appeared first on Green Also Green.

“What is now proved was once only imagined.” – William Blake

Training myself to think bigger.

After reading more about neuroscience this year, and developing greater intention with how I visualize my success, I discovered something crazy: I was used to thinking small.

This thought has driven me toward a long, winding road of daydreams, journaling prompts, and award-deserving mood boards. 

It has all given me a great sense of excitement and enthusiasm for life, and it’s all rooted in one question:

What if?

So many of us go through our day-to-day lives accepting everything exactly as it is. Let’s start there. 

What if you could make X better? What if you could read the book you’ve been meaning to start for 6 months? What if you didn’t have to feel Y or worry about Z? 

This exercise goes beyond personal development though, and can even make for a fun creative exercise in other tasks. 

Allow me to share some of the items on my own “what if” list now:

• What if I learned more about ethnobotany?
• What if I increased my time to action?
• What if I bought a bunch of land to turn it back into natural habitat? 
• What if I bought e-waste and found a way to deconstruct it while preserving the quality of the materials?

The Enduring Power Of “What If”

#1: Deepen your understanding. 

In adding items to my “what if” list, I have learned the skill of asking increasingly more obscure, random hypothetical questions. 

Exploring their answers often reinforces fundamental concepts that are tangibly applicable in my life. 

For example, in studying geochemistry, I got to thinking, “why isn’t there silicon-based life on earth?” Like carbon, silicon is what you would call tetravalent- it has just as many valence electrons as carbon, and thus, you would imagine, just as much opportunity to bond. In fact, most minerals on earth are silicon-based. 

After asking around and exploring this idea, one of my peers shared some papers he wrote on the subject, which I got to enjoy reading. 

In the end, asking a “stupid” question allowed me to make connect with others while deepening my own awareness of key concepts within geochemistry and evolutionary biology. 

#2: Challenge your assumptions. 

Let’s talk about “what if”’s favorite cousin, “why not”. 

For most of my life, I believed the narrative of choosing one career and using that end goal to make all my decisions. 

It was: if you want to be a doctor, read chemistry books. Wanna be a lawyer? Read about philosophy. And if you like both chemistry and philosophy, just pick one for crying out loud!

For a long time, it was tormenting to be the kid who simply liked everything. I was overwhelmed by the infinite paths I could take, and simultaneously saddened by the fact that they all seemed to lack the crazy diversity I dreamed about. 

Then I asked a question: Why not cultivate my unique portfolio of skills and interests? Who says I can’t design a career perfectly suited to what I’m good at, interested in, and hoping to get out of life?

When I asked this question, I realized that the answer to this “why not” boiled down to two things: fear of uncertainty and not wanting to put in the effort to discover the life that would truly fulfill me. 

Most of us do not realize how much we take for granted- intellectually, in our relationships, in the way we live our lives. 

So start asking yourself “why not”, and you might be surprised by the answer.  

#3: Realize your big dreams are attainable.

Here is some tough love: you’re not special. 

Throughout the course of human history, millions of people have also faced heartbreak, loss, financial ruin, and uncertainty. Many of them have also come out of those things with the reinforced determination to have crazy amazing lives. 

So what if there was a way to chart the path from exactly where you are to the amazing world, life, or career you envision?

What if you are not limited by your circumstances, but instead by your creativity?

We tell ourselves certain things are impossible for us, but when we ask “what if”, we realize an unsettling but reassuring fact. Actually, there is no real reason why someone else in your position could’ve gotten/done that thing and not you. 

When I do this exercise for myself, it can be disheartening. I realize that the responsibility to create what I want is fully up to me, and in a lot of ways, I fail at it.

Yet after that stark realization, there is also a glimmer of hope- yes, it’s up to me, but also, I have every power to fix it. Why? 

Well, why not?

What if it works?

Go and see for yourself. 

Open a new “Note” on a note-taking app, and title it “What If List”. 

Write one question. Make it crazy. Make it unhinged. 

Let’s see where it takes you. 

Thought to Action

1. Start a “Future Self” Journal: Write one page from the perspective of your dream self—what are you building, learning, wearing, prioritizing? Use this to guide daily decisions.
2. Identify Your Personal Design Criteria: What makes a task or project feel deeply worth it to you? Make a mini checklist. Use it to evaluate new commitments before saying yes.
3. Create a “Someday Stack” of Ideas: Start a list of crazy, impractical, or ambitious project ideas that you don’t have time for yet. This becomes your personal innovation vault.
4. Study Someone Whose Job Didn’t Exist 20 Years Ago: Look up someone in a role like climate designer, circularity strategist, or biofabrication artist—and reverse engineer how they got there.
5. Fuel Up With Fiction That Thinks Ahead: Read a sci-fi or speculative fiction book this month. Start with something weird. It will stretch your imagination more than any TED Talk ever could.

Sources

No external sources were used for this post. 

The post Use This Secret Tool To Build A Crazy Imagination appeared first on Green Also Green.

“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” – Henry Ford

When Nothing Looks Like Your Mood Boards

In a world of Instagram filters, ugly things are rebellious. 

I have been in an ugly war with acne since I first dipped my timid little toe into the waters of puberty. 

Since then, I have tried just about everything short of accutane- Differin, tretinoin, antibiotics, spironolactone, pimple patches, various cleansers, not eating nutritional yeast, cutting down on dairy, and, of course, plain concealer. 

So many times, I have heard well-meaning internet-people with no dermatological qualifications sell me another easy fix, as though I haven’t already cried myself to sleep and searched the entire internet seventeen times over for solutions. 

Now, it has been almost a decade of pimples and acne scars, a decade of hearing people with clear skin complain about having “breakouts” which look 10 times milder than my face has been since I was maybe ten.

But there is one thing my acne taught me all these years that made me stronger. 

I learned that my reality will never fully match my “ideal”. 

Now, I continue to struggle with acne. 

I continue to struggle with bad days, and failures, and rejection, and insecurity. 

There are days when I feel like I’m losing this big race of achieving success as early as possible. 

There are days when I feel ugly, and stupid, and absolutely worthless. 

Acne made me confront this question: What if your reality is always imperfect?

No one starts with clarity.

We like to think we start with clarity, just because we made the mood board and announced our 5-step process to achieving success. 

The truth is a little murkier. 

While it helps to plan and visualize, clarity comes mostly from action. 

#1: Share the draft anyway.

Long-term consistency > short-term perfection, so don’t wait until everything is exactly perfect!

The longer you wait, the higher the bar will get for what it takes to finally be “ready”. 

When we train ourselves to have an excuse for what we do/don’t do, we form a habit of making excuses. 

Instead, take that first wobbly step. Open up that course you keep saying you want to take. 

Send those cold emails you’ve been meaning to pitch. Knock on the doors of people who will mostly reject you. 

Make bold requests that will likely get denied. 

Ask for feedback. Have the audacity to make mistakes publicly. 

Perfectionism is just another way fear manifests to protect us from the big scary monsters hiding behind true effort. 

So to start is not just about starting; it is about having the courage to face reality head-on, and realize that you are way more capable than you thought. 

#2: Keep a list of “Bad Ideas”.

How many times do we decide not to do something just because it might not work out?

Too often. 

Don’t get me wrong- we all have ideas that if we acted on them, we would regret it later, but what if we had better practice at getting our ideas out of our head, onto a list, and maybe even into conversation with someone else?

This is not about impulse-driven decision-making; it’s about getting your ideas out without the pressure to prove they’re amazing. 

Because let’s face it: most of your ideas will not be amazing.

But if you learn how to capture them and think them through, you will make sure that the day you have a real breakthrough, it doesn’t go by like just another “shower thought” or “daydream”. 

Trust me, that day will come, and it will only be possible because you took the time to take your ideas seriously. 

#3: Ask for accountability.

One of the single biggest motivators for me to make progress in my life is, sadly, the social pressure to follow through on my commitments. 

It is the people-pleaser in me that needs everyone to think she is in control of her life and doing great. 

For most of my life, this has been a shortcoming of mine that I have sought to overcome. 

That is, until I realized it could be turned into a strength. 

What if I leveraged people-pleasing to make sure I do what I say I’m going to do?

I put this idea to the test, and found that it was golden. When I use my career coach or a group of friends to make sure I complete a task or bring a project to success, I am ten times more likely to prioritize that thing and make sure it gets done. 

As sad as it may be, we often care more about what others think of us than what we think of ourselves. Yet, often we are also the only person who can say what tasks are the highest leverage at any given point. 

So bring someone else in on the loop, promise to text them when X is done and Y is submitted. Feel the pressure to not let them down, and soon, you will find it is impossible to let yourself down as well. 

You are free.

Having acne sucks, but it means you learn to stop defining yourself by the quality of your skin. 

Likewise, when you embrace the ugly beginning of a project, or the ugly rejection when you apply to dozens of opportunities that mostly tell you ‘no’, you free yourself to stop being defined by rejection and failure. 

Even more importantly than freeing yourself, you will know yourself. 

And isn’t that the mission of a lifetime? 

Becoming who you truly are.

Thought to Action

1. Make Your “Ugly List”: Write down 5 things you’ve been too scared to start and commit to beginning one this week—ugly on purpose.
2. Create an “Ugly Drafts” Folder: Store your roughest starts and revisit weekly.
3. Try a 24-Hour Debrief: After beginning a project, come back the next day and reflect—did the cringe evolve?
4. Post Before You’re Ready: Share one in-progress idea publicly or with a friend to build momentum.
5. Talk o People In Other Fields: Use these 11 tips to start conversations with people from other fields. 

Sources

No external sources were used for this post.

The post How To Make Peace With The Ugly Beginning appeared first on Green Also Green.

 “The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.” -Carl Jung

What Is Cool?

When I think of “cool”, I think of Codie Sanchez. 

I’ve been following her journey for about five years, and the life and business(es) she has built never fail to inspire me. 

After working on Wall Street for several years, she left to buy “boring businesses” like laundromats and teach others how to do the same. Now, she has a huge following on several social media platforms and a New York Times bestseller, “Mainstreet Millionaire.”

What I love about her journey is how many times she started over. 

Her beginnings were as a journalist, reporting on various atrocities in Juarez, Mexico, which resulted in her being awarded the Robert F. Kennedy Award for print journalism. 

In 2008, right before the financial crisis, she made the first switch and took her first job at Vanguard. After this, she continued to grow, working at places like Goldman Sachs, First Trust, and State Street until 2020. 

That’s when she launched Contrarian Thinking, a finance and media company that is still going strong today. 

That’s two times where she pressed ‘reset’ and built an entirely new path with great success. 

And she is still doing it today, combining what she has learned about media and finance to bring into the world something it has never seen before. 

She is unstoppably cool because she carved a radically unique path that was deeply rooted in values and impact, while also being unapologetic in how she thinks, works, and creates.

My goal is to use the same approach in my own life and work, and today I want to talk to you about 3 ways I am doing just that. 

#1: Saying no to false binaries.

For a long time, I tormented myself with the thought that I had to choose between all the subjects I studied in school. 

I could have a career in chemistry or a career in English. 

I could be a science student or I could love humanities. 

Still a student, albeit at university and not high school, I am faced with similar decisions between majors, minors, and class schedules. 

However, now, I’m much more relaxed about the whole thing. 

Why? 

Because I realized my decisions were just that: decisions about majors, minors, class schedules, and exams. 

I didn’t stop being interested in the living world when I stopped taking biology. Similarly, I didn’t stop thinking and reading about philosophy when I decided on two STEM majors. 

My brain still mingles with dozens of “subjects” regularly because I choose to explore them. 

The secret, though, is that now I’m in control of how I explore them. 

I have learned how to mix and match everything I like to do and learn so that I have an education based in freedom, podcasts, books, travel, self-directed projects, and incredible (often random) conversations.  

It’s not “choose humanities or science”, “lawyer or doctor”, or “good at/bad at”. 

Being unstoppable cool is about knowing exactly what your decisions mean and what they don’t. 

It’s about knowing that whatever options you think you have, there are probably seventeen more invisible options that are that much more aligned. 

#2: Filtering your input. 

As a recovering people-pleaser and life-long paralysis-by-analysis girl, my single biggest source of doubt has just about always been other people.

Sometimes it’s some random unqualified charlatan on social media. 

Other times it’s someone very close, like family or friends who have known you your entire life. 

But as yet another internet charlatan, my advice is this: don’t take all advice. 

Because, unfortunately, most of the people whose advice you are getting are probably completely unqualified. 

And what is advice?

Experience repackaged as wisdom.  

But this isn’t just about advice. 

It’s also about media consumption and quality. 

Deliberately evaluate what you consume now, and what type of media you want to consume ideally. Be brutally honest. Most of us lose a scary amount of time to mindlessly consuming other people’s opinions. 

Finally, try being a better friend to yourself, because the way you talk to yourself is one of the most influential inputs around. 

What does that mean?

Stop calling yourself “stupid”. Make your bed. Buy yourself flowers. Give yourself pep talks. 

Yes, it will feel weird at first, but based on personal experience, I have never regretted waking up to flowers on my desk. 

#3: Performative productivity vs Slow Creativity. 

Of all three points in this post, this one is the hardest for me to live out. 

Why, I have spent many a late night wondering, do you hide behind a laptop in Sisyphus’ Inbox while also procrastinating on the important thing that you can do on your laptop?

An answer usually never came, and truth be told, I felt ashamed. 

The way I see it, if you’re going to procrastinate, choose something fun, something memorable, something that isn’t productivity porn. 

But there is a deeper dilemma here, and it is the fact that most of the time when we procrastinate on the important stuff, we justify it to such an extent that we can almost convince ourselves we aren’t procrastinating. 

Hence, me taking notes in the least efficient way while preparing for class because I would rather learn the easy way rather than the effective way. 

That alone has cost me hundred of hours that I will never get back. 

To honor those hours I have lost on pretending to be productive, I made a vow to be lazier. 

Yes, you got that right. 

I made a vow to spend less time in front of a laptop and to spend my extra time actually living. 

While it’s been hard, and I still find myself floundering at times, it ends up meaning that I actually make progress when I do sit in front of a screen. 

So say no to performative productivity. Say yes to slow creativity and progress.

Because you’re in it for the long game, not the short-term self-esteem boost or the aesthetic Instagram post. 

Claim the person you want to be. 

Being cool is about becoming, not about ticking off an arbitrary checklist that society has decided is the moving finish line of success. 

It’s not about following trends and wearing your hair in a slickback with a perfect set of nails and a wardrobe full of neutrals.

Instead, being cool is about who you are and how you act, not what your Instagram and LinkedIn look like. 

Thought to Action

1. Redefine “Cool”: Write your own definition—what draws you, not what sells.
2. Try a Micro-Rebellion: Create or wear something that feels fully you, even if it’s outside your comfort zone.
3. Start a Curiosity Journal: Follow your questions like da Vinci—capture 1–3 curiosities each day.
4. Read Fiction with Designer Eyes: Notice how stories spark material or systems ideas—see my insights here: 3 Easy Ways to Unleash Creativity and Innovation
5. Replace Performing with Experimenting: Trade one habit driven by approval for one driven by pure creative curiosity.

Sources

The post How I Learned To Be Unstoppably Cool appeared first on Green Also Green.